Addison, Vargas Earn All-America Honors to Open NCAA Championships

Wednesday, June 8

Eugene, Ore.

All Day

NC State

NCAA Outdoor Championships

Addison, Vargas Earn All-America Honors to Open NCAA Championships

6/8/2016 11:58:00 PM | Track

Live Stats

EUGENE, Ore. – Jonathan Addison and Luis Vargas both concluded their Wolfpack careers in their main events, earning First-Team All-America honors on the opening day of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at historic Haywood Field.

Both athletes scored points for the team, bringing the men into a tie for 18^th place with five points after the opening day of competition.

Vargas finished seventh in the 10,000m with a time of 29:48.76 and Addison took sixth in the long jump with a mark of 25'0.00".

In addition to earning a pair of All-America honors, the Wolfpack also advanced its 4x100 team featuring Nyheim Hines, Addison, Shannon Patterson and Quashawn Cunningham to the finals taking seventh overall in 39.11.

4x100
Hines, Addison, Patterson, and Cunningham ran a scorching 39.11 around the track to finish third in their heat and seventh overall, securing a spot in Friday's 4x100 finals. They are the first 4x100 squad to qualify for the NCAA finals since 1991.

Their time of 39.11 is a personal best for the group and shreds.13 off their previous best in the event. The relay is now just .04 from the school record set in 1989.

The group approaches the conclusion of a historic season with guaranteed points at nationals, as well as First-Team All-America honors. The starting gun for the 4x100 finals goes off at 7:32 p.m. Friday and will be broadcasted on ESPN.

Long Jump:
Addison added another impressive national finish to his career, taking sixth in the long jump with a leap of 25'0.00". Addison concluded his long jump NCAA career as a four-time All-American. He also holds almost every possible regional and conference award in the book after a stellar career, competing in the long jump, high jump, 100m and 4x100 relay squad.

The Raleigh, N.C., native overcame a tough start to event, booking a spot in the finals on his third and final preliminary jump. He then improved on his next two jumps to move from eighth to sixth to close out the competition.

He finishes his career as the school record holder in the indoor long jump and second in school history in the outdoor long jump.

Addison will have one more event with the Pack, as he runs in the 4x100 finals Friday. He will then shift his focus to the Road to Rio, where he set to compete at the USATF Olympic Trials in the long jump.

10,000m:
Luis Vargas and Sam Parsons concluded the opening day of the NCAA Championships with the 10,000m. Vargas finished seventh in 29:18.40 and Parsons crossed the finish line for 20^th in 29:48.76.

Vargas concludes his Wolfpack career as a three-time All-American in his only season with the Pack, taking home first team honors in the indoor 3,000m and 5,000m and outdoor 10,000m. The Elon-transfer provided the Pack with a huge boost during his final year, leading the team in distance events.

Vargas was the first Wolfpack men's athlete to earn All-America honors in the 10,000m since 2004, when Chad Pearson finished fifth in the event. Vargas is also the fourth ever Wolfpack man to earn All-America honors in the event, joining Pat Joyce, Pat Piper and Pearson.

He will have shot at the Olympics and will aim to qualify for Mexico's national team.

Parsons finished a breakout track season, advancing his first ever NCAA Track and Field Championships. This season, the redshirt-junior also earned All-ACC honors in the 5,000m, while advancing to NCAAs in the 10,000m.

Parsons has posted a remarkable comeback after facing three years of setbacks and injuries during track season. He will enter his senior season as the top Wolfpack men's distance runner with appearances at the NCAA Championships in both track and cross country.

Up Next:
Alexis Perry will represent the women's team with appearances in the 100m hurdles semifinals and the long jump finals. She will begin her NCAA competition with 100m hurdles at 8:32 p.m.

The men will resume Friday with the 4x100 running at 8:32 p.m.